dual alternators

My camper hauler came with two alternators.

Why an LTZ was spec'd that way when the dealer ordered it is a mystery.

I guess I thought the advantage would be to have a dedicated alternator to keep the camper battery charged independent of the starting battery. If they simply work in parallel, I don't see much advantage over a single higher rated alternator. Plus, it seems I would need to give up the inverter and upfitter switch options. Thanks all.

If you want to add a second alternator (and can handle the bracket fab) you don't have to separate the circuits. I've done twin-alternator setups before and ran them in parallel... I'd read somewhere that doesn't work but it worked great when I tried it.
I was able to sustain a 1000-watt 120VAC load through an inverter at idle speed without battery drain.

Both my Ford and Ram have the dual alternator option. If you have sufficient wiring between truck and camper, it will allow faster battery recovery. Like others, it is peace of mind to know I can run auxiliary lights, additional batteries and charging to my camper and trailer while not worrying about depleting the truck batteries.

From what I have read about the Ford setup, one alternator operates until the load exceeds a threshold where the second one starts to help. This is supposed help parasitic drag on the engine instead of having both always running under light load.

Wonder if my TJ would work. With a winch, and the overheads while out in the outback, I do have a substantial draw.

I have them on my F350. They work together to increase the power output for things like plows which are run off the electrical system where the slow speeds and start and stop operation can create a significant drain on a single alternator and might not put out enough current. Also ambulances or any other significant electrical draw applications. Works fine for me and have had no issues. Fairly inexpensive insurance against running the batteries down in demanding applications.

I have them on my Ram, love them.

A friend had them on his truck, an F350 dually. Ran the second to power the batteries in his TC and the winch & battery on his car trailer.

Bill

That option is usually for high electrical draw services vehicles...like ambulances, etc.

Yep, i have them, no idea what they're doing though... so curious myself...